The drinking water to which small amounts of the electrolytes NaCl or KCl have been added is passed through a diaphragm and electrolysis is used to produce electrolyte ionized water, research into applicability of the sterilization effects of the highly acidic water component as a sterilizing agent for use in medical treatment, food processing, cosmetics and agricultural fields etc. can be undertaken. Further, the electrolyte ionized water's alkali ionized water component could be considered for use in agriculture to prevent or treat acidification.
When electrolyte ionized water produced with single electrolytes like NaCl or KCl of the kind used up till now, is used for agriculture, there is a fear of salt damage to plants from NaCl, and with KCl, even though K.sup.+ is necessary for plants in large amounts, if used in normal quantities of 1-2L/m.sup.2 of electrolyte ionized water for a long period, the high concentration of K.sup.+ in the electrolyte ionized water (especially in the alkali ionized water component), may cause problems through suppression of plant's Mg.sup.2+ absorption due to increase in K.sup.+, and through disturbance of the balance in plants and soil, of K, Ca, and Mg which plants require. This is clear by reference to the table below illustrating highly acid water component in electrolyte ionized water produced from plant compatible electrolyte composition, and ionized water produced from NaCl, KCl electrolytes.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Oxidation reduction Residual chlorine pH potential (mV) (ppm) ______________________________________ Plant compatible 2.68 0.1 1095.about.1100 34 2 electrolyte composition Previous NaCl, KCl 2.7 0.1 1100 32 2 electrolytes ______________________________________
In order to avoid the problems inherent in the previously used electrolytes above, this invention aims to mix multiple electrolytes rather than single electrolytes with raw water, to form an electrolyte solution which maintains the ion balance in soil and when applied in the field of agriculture prevents salt damage to soil, Mg.sup.2+, absorption inhibition due to K.sup.+ increase, and disturbance of the balance in plants and soil, of K, Ca, and Mg elements required by plants, thus providing a new plant compatible electrolyte with good electrolytic effectiveness.
In order to overcome the previous problems present when using electrolytes for agriculture, the inventors investigated various research results, soil composition, plant physiology and ions that can be selected by the diaphragm of the electrolytic cell in electrolyte ionized water production devices, and made this invention, which is an electrolyte composition containing the 3 elements K, Ca and Mg that are best for maintaining the ion concentration balance from among elements essential for plants in large amounts that are supplied by soil, namely N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S.
This invention features a production method which involves an electrolyte ionized water production device wherein voltage is produced or an electrical current is passed, between the anode and cathode of an electrolytic cell to produce ionized water, which when used for agriculture, is sensitive to soil's ion concentration balance and where various electrolytes, KCL, CaCl.sub.2 and MgCl.sub.2 which are chlorides, are selected from among elements which are necessary for plants and soil in large quantities, and are mixed with raw water and supplied to an electrolytic cell.
Further features of said invention of plant compatible electrolyte composition and said composition's method of production, are its composition from KCL, CaCl.sub.2 and MgCl.sub.2 in accordance with the absorption rate of plant compatible ions K, Ca and Mg, and the inclusion of Ca.sup.2+, Mg.sup.2+ and K.sup.+ due to their selection by the diaphragm inside the electrolytic cell of the electrolyte ionized water production device, as well as the inclusion of large amounts of preferentially selected Ca.sup.2+, Mg.sup.2+.